The embodiments described herein relate generally to a material modification assembly that includes a laser and can be used with systems, such as a bone growth enhancing implant system, to facilitate a modification to a material substrate using the laser such that the modification includes a pattern on at least a surface or in the interior or bulk of the material substrate having dimensions and the modification includes two or more discrete material alterations or changes spatially overlapped within the pattern. The modification can also include patterns that are discretely spaced or separated to create specific functionalities and have variable chemical and physical properties.
At least some known energy sources, such as lasers, can be used for modifying material properties, offering processing methods that are physically non-intrusive and capable of delivering spatially-focused and diffraction-limited action at a distance. As such, the lasers can be used in commercial manufacturing and industrial environments, with diverse applications, such as in the automotive, aeronautics, electronics, and medical industries. For example, the lasers can be used to modify various types of material substrates.
When modifying material substrates, the lasers provide a directed high-energy source to achieve a single process outcome. The single process outcome includes ablation, sintering, or texturing to create, for example, a design pattern on at least a surface of the material substrate. As such, the lasers can provide a single change or alternation to the material substrate. However, some industries want to perform multiple changes or modifications to the material substrate. When performing multiple changes or modifications, separate laser processes are required for each change. For example, a first process would be performed for ablation and, subsequently, a second process would be performed for sintering. As such, performing multiple changes or modifications to the material substrate with a laser can be expensive and time consuming